Plymouth County in northwestern Iowa is centered on Le Mars and includes Remsen, Akron, Kingsley, Hinton, Merrill, and several smaller places. U.S. 75 runs through the Le Mars-Merrill-Hinton corridor, while U.S. 60 provides another north-south reference near Le Mars. Iowa 3, 12, 50, and 140 help locate the eastern, western, and southeastern parts of the county. The supplied maps also show the Floyd River system, Little Sioux River, and a broad range of hills and valleys. High-resolution JPG versions of the county, city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps are available in the ZIP near the end of the page. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
The landscape changes noticeably across the county. Lower ground follows Floyd River and its western branch near Le Mars, while another low corridor appears along Little Sioux River in the southeast. Higher terrain occupies much of the western interior and extends through large parts of the central and eastern county, creating a strongly dissected pattern on the elevation map.
Table of Contents
Le Mars and U.S. 75 provide the main road reference
Le Mars is the strongest starting point on the general county map. U.S. 75 passes through the city and continues south toward Merrill and Hinton. U.S. 60 runs north from the Le Mars area, while Remsen lies to the east near Iowa 3 and Kingsley anchors the southeastern side near Iowa 140.
Akron sits close to the western boundary and is associated with Iowa 12 and Iowa 50. Craig and Struble appear near the northern edge, Brunsville northwest of Le Mars, and Oyens farther east. These smaller places help divide the large rural areas between the six highlighted cities.
The western boundary is visibly more irregular than the straighter eastern and southern county lines, and numerous small streams cut through the interior. The road map is useful for orientation, but current construction, closures, and precise routing should be checked with up-to-date transportation information.
Le Mars leads a six-city distribution across the county
The city map ranks Le Mars first with a mapped population of 10,640. Remsen is second at 1,823, Akron third at 1,689, Kingsley fourth at 1,472, Hinton fifth at 931, and Merrill sixth at 846. The largest city is in the north-central part of the county, while the other highlighted communities are spread east, west, south, and southeast.
Remsen provides an eastern reference, Akron marks the western side, and Kingsley helps locate the southeast. Hinton and Merrill define the south-central corridor below Le Mars. Neighboring county labels include Sioux County to the north, Woodbury County to the west, and Cherokee and O’Brien counties to the east.
The city pattern becomes more useful when paired with elevation. Le Mars is close to the Floyd River lowland, while Akron is surrounded by more rugged western terrain. Kingsley and the southeastern countryside lie near another set of valleys associated with Little Sioux River and its tributaries.
Floyd River creates a major low corridor near Le Mars
Floyd River is the most prominent inland waterway on the terrain-and-water map. It runs through the north-central interior and continues south, forming a broad lower corridor near Le Mars. W Branch Floyd River follows a separate valley immediately to the west, while Mink Creek helps define the northwestern drainage.
Willow Creek and Deep Creek lie east of the Floyd River system, and Plymouth Creek follows another valley farther south. On the elevation map, these waterways appear as green channels cutting through higher brown terrain. They make the Le Mars-Remsen side much easier to understand in terms of relief.
This sheet is intended for geographic reference rather than flood forecasting, navigation, current water levels, parcel boundaries, or legal water limits. Its main value is showing how the major rivers and smaller creeks divide the county’s hills and lowlands.
Western creeks and Little Sioux River form separate valley systems
Indian Creek appears in the northwest, while Broken Kettle Creek and Perry Creek cut through the western interior. These valleys divide the rugged western hills into smaller ridges and create repeated lower corridors along the irregular county edge.
Farther south, Big Whiskey Creek and Mud Creek cross the central-southern countryside. Little Sioux River forms a stronger low corridor in the southeast, while Johns Creek and Whiskey Creek provide additional eastern references. The county therefore contains several distinct drainage systems rather than one single dominant valley.
Hinton and Kingsley are useful town references for this southern and southeastern drainage. Matching those cities with the named waterways makes it easier to connect the road map with the more detailed terrain and elevation sheets.
Elevation ranges from 329 to 463 meters
The supplied elevation map shows an actual county range of about 329 to 463 meters, with a mean elevation of 403 meters. Lower green terrain follows parts of the western edge, the Floyd River system, and the Little Sioux River corridor in the southeast. Higher brown terrain covers much of the western interior and large parts of the central and eastern county.
The western high ground is deeply divided by creeks rather than forming one smooth plateau. Floyd River and W Branch Floyd River create a broad north-south low area near the center, while Johns Creek and other tributaries cut into the eastern hills. The result is a repeated pattern of ridges and valleys over a mapped relief range of about 134 meters.
The elevation colors are designed for broad terrain comparison rather than survey-grade measurement. Exact parcel elevation, road grade, engineering design, or construction work requires original elevation data or professional surveying.
Le Mars, Akron, and Kingsley reveal different terrain zones
Le Mars provides the clearest central reference because it is close to the Floyd River lowland. Moving west toward Akron reaches more deeply cut terrain near the irregular western boundary, while the southeastern side around Kingsley approaches another set of low valleys linked to Little Sioux River.
Remsen is useful for the eastern uplands and Deep Creek side, while Merrill and Hinton help locate the south-central road and drainage corridors. Comparing the same towns across all four maps makes the relationship between roads, rivers, and relief much easier to follow.
Choose the Plymouth County map that fits the task
Use the general county map when you need towns and numbered roads in one view. It is the quickest way to compare Le Mars, Remsen, Akron, Merrill, Hinton, and Kingsley with U.S. 75, U.S. 60, Iowa 3, Iowa 12, Iowa 50, and Iowa 140. The city map is better for comparing the six highlighted communities and their mapped population ranking.
The terrain-and-water map is best for Floyd River, W Branch Floyd River, Little Sioux River, Indian Creek, Mink Creek, Deep Creek, Plymouth Creek, Johns Creek, Broken Kettle Creek, Big Whiskey Creek, and other tributaries. The elevation map adds the 329–463 m range and makes the major low corridors and higher hills easier to compare.
The WebP images in the article are optimized for quick browser viewing. For printing, classroom use, presentations, or closer comparison, the ZIP below contains the county, major-city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps as high-resolution JPG files. They are general-reference graphics and do not replace legal boundary records, current transportation data, flood information, or precise survey measurements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for locating Le Mars, Remsen, and Akron?
The general county map is the best starting point. Le Mars is the main north-central reference, Remsen lies to the east, and Akron sits close to the western boundary. U.S. 75, U.S. 60, Iowa 3, Iowa 12, and Iowa 50 help distinguish those areas.
What are the main rivers and creeks shown in Plymouth County?
Floyd River and W Branch Floyd River are the strongest central references, while Little Sioux River forms a major southeastern corridor. Indian Creek, Mink Creek, Deep Creek, Plymouth Creek, Johns Creek, Broken Kettle Creek, and Big Whiskey Creek are also labeled.
What does the 329–463 m elevation range show?
The elevation map shows lower terrain along the Floyd River and Little Sioux River systems and higher hills across much of the western interior, central county, and east. The mapped mean elevation is 403 meters. Precise site elevations require original elevation data or professional survey information.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains four high-resolution JPG maps for Plymouth County, Iowa: county, major cities, terrain and water, and elevation.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
Sources and reference data
Plymouth County’s official map page provides county-specific map resources, while the federal links below provide boundary, hydrography, and elevation source data.
- Plymouth County Iowa – County Maps
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles
- USGS National Hydrography
- USGS 3D Elevation Program
These maps are intended for general geographic reference, learning, printing, and visual comparison. Legal boundaries, ownership, current road conditions, flood risk, water levels, and precise elevations should be checked against the responsible agency’s current records.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
